Adam Interviews Tony Bilson of Bilson's restaurant for Sydney Food TV
I interviewed Tony Bilson of Bilson's restaurant for Sydney Food TV a new broadband TV channel my company Video Vista Launched on the 31st of Aug 2006. Tony has been around a long time and is often referred to as the godfather of the Sydney Food scene. Tony became a chef after graduating from university, against the wishes of his parents, he became interested in French cooking intellectually at a young age after reading a couple of influential books "Fine Bouche" by Pierre Andrieu and "The Food of France" by Waverley Root, and instead of embarking on the often trod route of business, he decided to do what he loved most and became a chef. 
I asked Tony if he had an idea of what was behind the meteoric rise in the standard of restaurants in Sydney, although Tony was unconvinced that Sydney as a culinary city has really moved up in the world, he did say that he thought two things have influenced Sydney's restaurant culture and it isn't as glamorous as you would think. Tony believes that the wine industry and Australians taste for wine has greatly influenced dining in Sydney, if you go back to the 70's when most people drank beer with their meals, and few people appreciated good wine, most of us were a fairly unsophisticated bunch. However Tony goes one step further back and attributes our now more sophisticated taste with a long period of economic prosperity, he went on to point out periods in history when this phenomena has occurred, and I guess he is right when you think about it.
Tony also talked about the Japanese influence on modern cooking, and in particular the way we now present our food, the visuals of contemporary food derive directly from Japanese food preparation and display. This suggestion was something new to me and a lot of chefs I have talked to, however when you think about the way food is presented at fancy restaurants today you can see a correlation to the way Japanese chef’s plate sushi and sashimi.
Talking to Tony was a unique experience, I felt privileged to get an hour of his time.
You can check out the article we did on Tony at http://sydneyfood.tv .
I talk with chefs and restaurateurs on a daily basis and I am planning on keeping you all up to date with any interesting people I come accross.
I asked Tony if he had an idea of what was behind the meteoric rise in the standard of restaurants in Sydney, although Tony was unconvinced that Sydney as a culinary city has really moved up in the world, he did say that he thought two things have influenced Sydney's restaurant culture and it isn't as glamorous as you would think. Tony believes that the wine industry and Australians taste for wine has greatly influenced dining in Sydney, if you go back to the 70's when most people drank beer with their meals, and few people appreciated good wine, most of us were a fairly unsophisticated bunch. However Tony goes one step further back and attributes our now more sophisticated taste with a long period of economic prosperity, he went on to point out periods in history when this phenomena has occurred, and I guess he is right when you think about it.
Tony also talked about the Japanese influence on modern cooking, and in particular the way we now present our food, the visuals of contemporary food derive directly from Japanese food preparation and display. This suggestion was something new to me and a lot of chefs I have talked to, however when you think about the way food is presented at fancy restaurants today you can see a correlation to the way Japanese chef’s plate sushi and sashimi.
Talking to Tony was a unique experience, I felt privileged to get an hour of his time.
You can check out the article we did on Tony at http://sydneyfood.tv .
I talk with chefs and restaurateurs on a daily basis and I am planning on keeping you all up to date with any interesting people I come accross.
posted by Sydney Food TV at
6:56 PM
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